Their previous album, *Ba’dansa*, released in 2020, featured tracks primarily sourced from a USB drive obtained from a taxi driver in a South African township they visited themselves. It was a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that seamlessly blended moody, sexy deep house and amapiano into a smooth, sophisticated mix—far surpassing the music we typically imagined when we heard the word “South Africa” at the time. moody, and sexy deep house and Amapiano—smoothly and elegantly woven together—that far exceeded the music we typically associated with “South Africa” at the time. However, in this new release, “Ba’dansa Vol. 2 ~Slow Dancing in Shadows~,” released five years later, Amapiano—which appeared only briefly on the previous album as an “emerging genre that early adopters were already taking notice of”—has gained global recognition over the past five years. Amidst the continuous emergence of new subgenres, this album delves deeper into the world of the mellow, jazzy style known as “Private School Piano.” It features a reggae/ dancehall-inspired slow-mo rhythms that exude an even more intense sensuality —from "Slow Jam" and "AMA45," slow-tempo Amapiano tracks around 90 BPM, to the moody deep house world of SA DEEP HOUSE, which follows the same path as the previous album. This evolves into a mysteriously alluring, adult urban smooth sound, gradually and meticulously building toward the heights of erotic love’s joy with dramatic melancholy, The track is mixed and constructed with fluid, gentle precision. The climax in the first half—a sweet, rich, and lingering saxophone solo that seems to go on forever—is truly irresistible.
The supreme mastering, featuring the mellow richness and lustrous warmth of tube amplification, is courtesy of Hacchi (Urban Volcano Sound). Artwork by Leo Kiman.
70 minutes and 29 seconds of deep, mellow, smooth, sporty, and danceable sounds perfect for the coming season. (Original Japanese text by COMPUMA)